Congressman Boren will not seek re-election in 2012

June 15, 2011

U.S. Rep. Dan Boren recently announced that he will not be seeking re-election for a fifth term in Congress next year. Boren said he is through with politics and has no specific plans for his next career move.

"I don't have a job lined up," he said in an interview following his stunning announcement. "I am very open. I haven't had much time to think about it."

Boren expressed hope that whatever he ends up doing next he will be able to remain in Oklahoma, but he left the door open to taking a job outside the state.

Boren conceded the 2nd District, dominated overwhelmingly by Democratic politics for decades, has turned into a more competitive district, but said facing a tougher re-election race was not that much of a factor in his decision.

"I believe I would be successful," he said. "It is just the constant campaigning, the constant fundraising."

Boren's surprise announcement will change the political landscape in his district, which covers eastern counties of Oklahoma.

After serving one two-year term in the state House of Representatives, Dan Boren won his current office for the first time in 2004.

President Barack Obama commended Boren for his public service in a statement issued by the White House.

“Over the course of his career, both in Washington and in the Oklahoma Legislature, Dan has exemplified a commitment to creating jobs and economic opportunity for his constituents and rural communities, all the while continuing his family's long line of public service and dedication to the state of Oklahoma," the president said.